WikiLeaks mischaracterized the MSNBC host and RIA Novosti enhanced the misinformation. Both relayed only part of the program, ignoring actual U.S. government warnings cited in the program. Maddow’s concerns about a potential Russian threat were not baseless.

Yevgeny Prigozhin

Russian businessman

“The press service also noted that in the trial against ‘Concord Management and Consulting,' special prosecutor Robert Mueller 'supposedly collected more than four million documents, which is more than 12 million printed pages, over 80% of which the defense is forbidden to familiarize itself with.'"

After his lawyer’s testy exchange with the judge presiding over the 2016 election meddling case against Russian firm Concord Management and Consulting, company head and “Putin’s chef” Yevgeny Prigozhin misleads, accusing U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller of withholding evidence from the defense.

While the Twitter account calls itself “In Venezuela,” it publicly identifies its physical location as based in Toronto, Canada. This is also stated at the top of the “about” section on the writer’s blog.

RIA Novosti

Russian state news agency

“(The Wall Street Journal) noted that the head of the government (Hungary’s Orban) has been receiving orders (from the U.S.) to counter Chinese cyber espionage and support Ukraine as a counter to Russia.”

RIA Novosti “quoted” a Wall Street Journal article, attributing to it wording that was not in the original piece. The U.S. cannot “order” foreign governments to follow certain policies, although the Hungarian leader objected to "pressure" from the U.S.

Dmitry Kiselyov

TV News Presenter, CEO, Rossiya Segodnya state information agency

“The new American fashion is hostages. Back at the beginning of the 21st century, only bandits and terrorists took hostages. They have a goal -- they seize a person or several and demand the fulfillment of their wishes from others.”

None of the Russian people Kiselyov names are “hostages.” One was convicted in court, another pleaded guilty, and one has not even been arrested. Reasonable protests have been made in the fourth case, but there have been no demands from the U.S. as terms for release.

Sputnik cried “censorship” after Facebook removed 364 Facebook pages and accounts for engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” But while Sputnik charged the pages were removed for their politically-motivated content, Facebook says it was a matter of “misrepresentations of their identities.”

Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union have persecuted dissidents, sometimes using capital punishment. Modern Russia has abolished the death penalty, although a number of dissidents and journalists have been murdered, their cases remaining unsolved.

RT Russian Service

State-owned media outlet

“In December 2018, in the Odessa region, unknown persons organized a pogrom at a church in the village of Semenovka, Belgorod-Dniester district. The attackers stole donations and desecrated the church premises.”

The incident in the Odessa region was totally unrelated to the fire in Kyiv, and it was an act of vandalism.” No motive has been established. In Kyiv, police detained a 24-year-old homeless man who is accused of setting fire to some mattresses.

Danielle Ryan

Dublin-based freelance writer

“In reality, Russia is as safe for American tourists (or any other tourists, for that matter) as any other European country is — and the fact that a former official who really should know better is perpetuating the myth of deep, dark, dangerous Russia is utterly ridiculous.”

Former U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul earned a rebuke from the RT op-ed section after tweeting the arrest of a U.S. citizen for espionage changed his view on travelling to Russia. While the nature of Whelan’s activities is unclear, to claim that Russia is as safe as any European stop beggars belief.

The Russian Embassy in Canada has tried to tie the conspiracy case of Maria Butina to the Me Too movement against sexual harassment and assault. The embassy said her conviction shows the “bias and hypocritical” nature of western feminism. But Butina’s prosecution has no link to #metoo or feminism.